Infected! Prepare Yerba Mate properly and drink

I got infected, in Chile, Yerba Mate South American style is not only a healthy thing, but also a great ritual. As loyal readers may already know, I am interested in drinking rituals and related ritual objects from all over the world.

So you can, for example read hereWhat's up with Moroccan tea? So mate. What is Mate, how is it brewed and how is it drunk?

Yerba (= herbal) Mate (= name for the drinking vessel) is a shrub plant, and is dried and consumed as a tea for ages consumed. A well-brewed mate contains not only a healthy dose of caffeine but also important antioxidants and even vitamins.

To enjoy one needs water, a drinking vessel (traditionally a calabash, a hollowed out pumpkin) and a special straw (=Bombilla), who has a sieve at the bottom, and of course Yerba Mate.

Here I describe the Argentinian way of preparing and enjoying Yerba Mate, as I got to know it in Chile:

The water should not boil, but only around 80 ° C and be filled with this temperature in a thermos bottle.

The calabash is filled to 3/4 with Yerba Mate. Press the hand on the opening and shake well. So a lot of dust is whirled up and sticks to the hand.

The hot water at one point (and later always refill at this point) carefully fill.

To do this, hold the calabash with Yerba at a slight angle and tap, so that the herbs lie diagonally in the container

Then fill in the water at the lowest point, carefully filling the container about halfway. In South America there are thermos flasks with spouts, but that also works with a normal opening.

Place the drinking straw diagonally in the cup, so that the sieve stands on the ground and is completely surrounded by the mate.

Then continue to fill the cup so that it is almost full. One part of the herbs should stay dry.

The Bombilla then stop moving!

Mate is best enjoyed in the round, with time, while chatting. Everyone drinks their portion and hands the cup back to the servador. The one who prepares the mate is the servador and is the "master of ceremonies" for this round or this evening. His duties include refilling with hot water and passing the calabash.

Thanks to the high-quality ingredients, carbohydrates and protein are quickly added to the body after exercise, and especially the blueberries also have an antioxidant effect and thus help with rapid regeneration.